Vilification in public space unwarranted: BJP tells Shiv Sena

BJP asked Shiv Sena on Friday to refrain from publicly criticising it and rather put forward its grievances in internal meets even as it said that wants to contest the upcoming civic body elections in alliance with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.

“I have been instrumental in carving out an alliance with Sena several times for municipal polls while I was the state BJP president and the Sena has been our oldest ally at the state and national level as well.

“It was only during the (2014) assembly polls that we did not get into an alliance. Does a failure to ally once make us enemies,” senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar told PTI.

Referring to attacks on BJP by its ally in run up to the assembly polls and on an almost daily basis in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ even after being a part of the government, he said public speeches and statements do not decide the fate of an alliance between parties.

“At the same time, there is a (state) cabinet (of which Sena is a part) and there are NDA internal meetings as well. If there are certain decisions that need to be criticised, they can be done so then. There is no reason to bring it in the public forum,” he said.

Mungantiwar also said the state government is taking the peaceful Maratha rallies in a positive way.

“I want to congratulate the Marathas for holding out rallies in a peaceful way. 15 years wasted by the previous government has resulted in this mass agitation.

“We find the demands of Marathas very viable. For instance, they want issues like employment to be addressed by the government, which is completely fine,” he said.

“We are looking at their morchas very positively. The chief minister is also of the view that Marathas should get everything that is due to them from nearly two decades,” Mungantiwar said.